The song unknown -- a continuing problem

You know how it is. You're listening to a twenty-song set on college radio when you suddenly hear THAT ONE SONG. You may have never heard it before, or maybe you've only heard it once -- BUT WHAT IS IT? Nowadays, many deejays have their weekly playlists posted on the Internet, or else you can simply call them and ask what they just played. But twenty years or so ago, many deejays were not always that forthcoming and many of them didn't answer phonecalls; and of course, there was no Internet. So you had to wait until the end of the set, and try to remember whether it was Song #6 or Song #7 you were interested in -- while hoping the jock would recite their playlist -- and then it might be either forwards or backwards. You tried to remember any lyrics from the song you were interested in -- provided it wasn't an instrumental. And then you would scribble down the name and the artist -- and hope it was the right song. Over the decades, I have compiled DOZENS of sheets of songs and/or the artists who played them. Sometimes I couldn't write it fast enough, and so the song-title or artist might be lost. If I got the artist, I might be able to track down the song, but it wouldn't necessarily be easy. It took me over ten years -- with some Internet help -- to find out that a certain song which haunted me was by the Misfits -- but it wasn't until this summer that I finally found out its title: "London Dungeon". And even the Internet is not all-knowing. Even when I know a song's title and artist, the Internet might not have any record of it. For instance, a song called "Buffalo" by a band called Bounty seems to have vanished from all memory. The entire CD "Water" is also utterly untraceable, as is its artist: Left Brain. It is even more frustrating when you aren't completely sure as to the name of either the song or the artist; there is or was a song called either "Two Cities" or "Two Critics" by either the Norburks, the Norbergs, the Norberks, or some such-sounding band -- yet even allmusic.com has no record of them. AND YET -- for all these difficulties in finding out WHAT and WHO I'm listening to, college radio would certainly be less fulfilling if it were less challenging. Ergo: whenever I can afford it, I try to audiotape as much of my favorite shows and favorite songs as possible. And when I can't, I stand by with pen and paper at the ready. After all, what's college radio without an occasional quiz?

Interesting post, Nightwolf! I've said it before and I'll say it again: College radio DJs should always identify the songs they play so that listeners can track them down easily. Yes, it means they have to put extra work into their shows by writing down every track, but it's a considerate thing to do for the audience.

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"This is No Money Mark. Why are you listening to WCSB Cleveland?"

I use to have the same problem back in my listening days...but I actually find it fun when you finally figure the song out. Think of it as a form of advertisement...you got to listen to the show over and over again hoping the programmer plays that one song again and tells you what it is.
When I use to listen to my favorite shows I use to get a piece of paper and taly how many songs a dj use to play per set list (this helps for backwards set list which I hate) then I would put a mark on the taly of the song I would like. Recording the show would help too. I personally feel it is the listeners responsability to figure out what songs they like...there is also something just about liking the song for it just being a great song rather than who played it.
Booya!

Actually, the challenge of finding out what a given song was IS fun. I still have a file of dozens -- if not HUNDREDS -- of pieces of scrap-paper with literally THOUSANDS of songs scribbled on the backs of them. These papers include fliers for plays or rock-concerts, Chinese restaurant place-mats, and a plethora of advertisements, announcements, and bad copy-prints. And every year, it still gets a little bit BIGGER.
And they can come in handy when you least expect it, as can tapes of old programs. When Mike Jordan was doing a show for Retro Week, I requested a song I had only heard ONCE. After he played it, he said he had forgetten all about it and was glad someone remembered it. Apparently HE was the only deejay to have played that song, and HE had only played it once.

well given certain recent developements it does not seem that Programers will have much of a choice in the matter and will have to post the damn thing anyways.....
SInce I am a lazy mother f'r what I do is type the set list..as my show is hapening on word pad....it is so much easier and then I don't have to worry about it for an entire week...I copy and past it and post it on my space right after the show!

achtungpeligro Wrote:
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> even if there is a seperate forum for playlists
> from the week, i wonder how many other DJ's will
> actually use that.

I've been posting every playlist (even from my time as an apprentice) on my My Space page. Now that I've discovered the forum on here I'll be putting it up on there too. On air I read off what I played backwards (so the last song you heard would be read first) after every four songs. My main goal with my show is to turn as many people on to music they've never heard of as possible, so I try to make it as easy as possible for people to find out what they've heard.

thelivingpeterjennings Wrote:
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> I've been posting every playlist (even from my
> time as an apprentice) on my My Space page. Now
> that I've discovered the forum on here I'll be
> putting it up on there too. On air I read off
> what I played backwards (so the last song you
> heard would be read first) after every four songs.
> My main goal with my show is to turn as many
> people on to music they've never heard of as
> possible, so I try to make it as easy as possible
> for people to find out what they've heard.
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ive considered making a profile for my show but the more i think about it the more i realize how little i would do with it and not be very valuable (though i probably should). i just announce what i play depending on when i feel its time to talk (if i feel like talking) unless someone calls and asks. sometimes i post a list on some blogsites i do if i feel it was worth mentioning. if i do a later time i try to not talk at all and i usually block incoming calls because i dont like talking on the phone then and dealing with certain types of callers ive had. i dont mind a convo here and there, but i dont like certain stuff that sketches me out and my most famous one i recall is some dude during my mid afternoon fill in 80s metal show calling me asking me about when i first got hair on my body. i will never forget that day. great show, great praise from the listeners, sketchy times all around like you were at a motley crue show.

As I listener...I hate the Backwards thing!...I understand the logic of it and it is easier to count back from the last song played to the last song you liked but something about it gets really confusing for me… maybe I can’t keep track of it because people when they come on air usually play too many songs before they even mention a set list….As a DJ I have the worst case of ADD ever! and telling you the set list backwards would just add to the pain of listening me to me talk. I get so distracted during the set list that usually by the second song mentioned I am talking about something else entirely.